"Wait. Why do you not know this? Did you break through to become a 1st Circle Aura Knight without even using an Aura Gathering Pill?" Evelyn asked him.
Leo was confused by the question. Since Daphne had reached the 1st Circle without needing anything, he thought that was the norm. He nodded.
"Wow, you are incredibly talented. I thought that you were able to become an Aura Knight because you were rich and could afford so many resources. Who would have thought that you are this talented?" Clarice said.
Evelyn clarified. "Both of us had to use Aura Gathering Pills to reach the stage we are at now. It took us a long time to reach our stages because we had to buy them at every point. With 4 people in our team, after each hunt, we only get 40000 Star coins together. And we only go to the forest once a month."
Everything started to make sense to him.
"It was probably just luck. But I have a suggestion. How about I buy the rights for the Beast Core now?" He said. He was trying to divert the topic but also had a really good idea.
"What do you mean?" Clarice asked.
"We still have 3 weeks before we are trying to go to the forest. That means if you breakthrough in the next 3 weeks, we have a higher chance of killing the Magical Beast, right? So all I have to do is give you 20000 Star coins and you can purchase the two pills that you need and try to break through." Leo said.
Clarice thought about it for a second.
"You barely know us. Why would you risk that money like that?" She asked.
He shrugged. "You guys look trustworthy enough. So what do you say?"
They looked at each other and nodded.
"I think we can do it. Do you want a written note? Like a loan agreement?" She asked.
Leo shook his head. He took his pouch out and took out two crumpled notes. Both of them were from the Squad Leader he had killed, but they didn't need to know that.
"Here you go," he handed the notes to them. "I don't need a note. Just the Beast Core. Everything else is yours. Even the materials."
Clarice took the money and quickly put it into her pouch. Leo decided that it was time to talk to them about Daphne.
"I also have a friend who might join us on the hunt. She is very new to the forest and hasn't done anything like it before. She just became an Aura Knight and started learning how to use a bow. If she becomes good enough, do you think she should join us?" He asked.
They both nodded.
"Yes. Ranged Support is always good. Obviously, if she missed her arrows so badly that they hit us instead, then we won't recommend it. But without Lucas' arrows, the Magical Beast isn't as constricted. Another archer is welcome," Evelyn said.
Leo nodded. "Perfect. She isn't ready yet, but hopefully, she will be by that time. Is there anything else we need to cover?" He asked.
Clarice shook her head. "No, I think that's it. All we need to do now is just meet up a few days before we are planning on going out to the forest and get everything we need for that then. Sounds good?"
He nodded. "Yes, perfect. Can you put a date on it? It is a while from now, after all." He asked.
"Sure. How about, 20th December?" She asked.
"Yes, that works. I'll see you then." He shook their hands and waited for them to leave. Once they left, he also got up to leave.
Lily saw that he was leaving and stopped him.
"Wait, you didn't have any food." She said.
"It's okay. I'll get some food sometime later. You have fun." He said. He stood up and walked out. In his mind, he was making plans.
If an Aura Training Pill did make it easier to train in Aura, it would be better for him to just buy one for him and Daphne. He would finally test whether he could actually train in Aura or not with that. But to do that, he would have to go back to the forest consistently.
Now that Daphne was also an Aura Knight, it was harder to justify going to the forest alone. After all, she would need supervision to go to the forest to train. Now that the forest had a lot of Magical Beasts, it was more dangerous.
But with Daphne present, he wouldn't be able to use his magic. He could try to cover it up but it would take a lot of effort to do that and it would make it a lot more difficult for him to kill Magical Beasts like that. He would also have to explain what he was doing with the Beast Cores as well.
He decided that he would try to sneak out, leaving her in the outskirts and quickly killing a beast or two before coming back that afternoon to see if he could do it consistently. If she got good enough at using her bow, she could give enough help that he wouldn't have to use his magic that much.
He reached the house earlier than he had expected. It was still around 12:30, and he had left only an hour ago. He went into the house and saw Daphne walking around, waiting for him. She saw him come in and jumped in excitement.
"Can we go now?" She asked.
Leo nodded. "You are too enthusiastic for this." He said.
"I love the bow. I picked the right weapon for me." She said. "Who are you to deny my happiness? You are some weirdo who thinks it's a good idea to go after a dangerous Magical Beast for no reason." She retorted.
"If you knew the shit I pull every day..." he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" She asked.
"Nothing. Let's go."
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A/N: I would greatly appreciate comments about the story at any point. I would also appreciate reviews.
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